Liliomfi

Jenő Janovics, Sándor Korda, 1917. The silent movie version of the evergreen comedy, which had the audience laughing as much as with the later ‘talkie’.

Premiere: 23 January 1917 (Színkör-mozgó, Cluj-Napoca)
Genre: feature film, comedy, silent film
Director: Jenő Janovics, Sándor Korda

Status
Original length: 4 acts, its length is unknown.
Lost film.

Plot
The guest appearance of actors from Oradea upsets the life of Professor Szilvai’s household. The professor’s wife Emerencia makes sweet-talk with the famous comic Szellemfi. His son, Gyula, takes on the name Liliomfi as an actor. Liliomfi meets Mariska in Cluj-Napoca, the next stop on the company’s tour, and he doesn’t even suspect that she is the fostered daughter of Szilvai. The young ones fall in love with each other at first sight. Mariska is living with Camilla and Liliomfi is also renting a room here with Szellemfi. One day, Szilvai visits his daughter. He learns that Mariska has fallen in love with the comic resident in the next room so he immediately approaches the actors to settle the matter. Only Szellemfi is there, and he is more than willing to give up the girl for a few coins. Szilvai takes Mariska back to Oradea, but Liliomfi and Szellemfi are hot on their heels and eventually catch up in the inn. After many misunderstandings everything is cleared up and Szilvai is happy to take in his future son-in-law and his fostered daughter. With tears in his eyes, Szellemfi bids farewell to them.

What makes it interesting?
This silent movie preceded the famous Liliomfi adaptation made by Károly Makk in 1954 by four decades. Newspapers reported that screening of this evergreen comedy resulted in roars of laughter from the audience.

Cast & Crew
Production Companies: Proja
Writer: Ede Szigligeti (play, 1849)
Screenwriter: Jenő Janovics
Cinematographer: László Fekete
Cast: Alajos Mészáros (Gyula / Liliomfi), Kálmán Rózsahegyi (Szellemfi), István Szentgyörgyi (Professor Szilvai), Aranka Laczkó (Eremencia, Szilvai's wife), Ilonka Nagy (Marika, Szilvai's foster daughter), Flóra Fáy (Kamilla), Lajos Újváry, Gyula Nagy, Hugó Kozma, Katinka Pap, Gyula Dezséri, Andor Szakács, Mariska Simon, Ödön Réthely, Endre Kertész, Miklósné Várady, Lili Hegyi

Filmkereső
Hangosfilm
IMDb